💡 Thursday Tip: Check your dog’s equipment for wear and tear regularly! 💡

I’ve spent most of my life around horses (as well as dogs, of course!) and I remember the one thing

being drilled into me from a young age on the yard was “check you tack!”. Every time you tacked up or untacked, or just put any gear on your horse, you did a quick once over. You’d check the fastenings, make sure they were all there and unbroken, and the stitching to ensure there were no frays or missing stitches, because faulty kit could cause serious injuries, for you and your horse.

So why is it something that is barely ever mentioned with our dogs? We gear them up every time we leave the house - usually they’ve got at least a collar and lead on, sometimes a harness, sometimes a different lead to usual, or even a coat. Our dogs may not have as much equipment as a horse, but it needs to be in just as good working order to make sure nothing breaks or fails when you need it most.

For a lot of people, you’ll probably subconsciously check your gear when you use it, but try to make a point of performing a proper check so that nothing gets missed. It’s easy to become complacent, and no one wants to be in an emergency situation where your gear fails.

Of course, sometimes gear can break without warning, and there’s nothing you can do about that apart from being prepared. That is why I carry a spare clip lead and emergency slip with me when I’m out and about, just in case!

Here’s a little list of things to look out for when doing your kit checks:

• Stitching and fabric: make sure it is all in good order, no frays, tears or missing stitches 🧵

• Metal hardware: check it is still functional and unbroken - lead clips can become stuck if dirty and rivets can come loose. Metal joins can also wear on each other and become loose, such as any swivel components to clips ⛓️‍💥

• Plastic buckles: check for cracks or wear - usually worn plastic pales compared to the surrounding material. Worn buckles can become loose and less fit to their counterpart, making the mechanism unreliable 🧩

• Tags: check that they are safely attached with no broken parts. If your tag is attached via a split ring rather than a flat-to-collar tag, these can easily stretch or come loose. Remember, any dog in public must legally wear a collar and tag with up to date and correct information. This information should also be legible - engraving and its filling can fade over time 🏷️

• Leatherwork: aside from the above, leather can stretch! A once fitting collar can become loose, and stretched leather can snap. If not cleaned or cared for properly, leather can wear and crack ⚡️